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Archive for the ‘music’ Category

lets talk about some good guys, lets talk about the troops

Posted in music, tagged , , on March 12, 2009| 4 Comments »

I just got my hands on the new Propagandhi record Supporting Caste.  I must say, just a couple listens in, it might be their best.  Bold statement but the reason I believe that is because I feel that with every Propagandhi record, the band shows a little more depth in song writing and their political viewpoints are a little more balanced and argued.  The new Propagandhi is great balance of aggressive power and politics with smooth grooves.  I find moments in the record to be melodic and almost hypnotizing before building up into another flurry of aggression.

I started listening to Propagandhi in the late 90s when Paul and I did the Morning After Show.  We used to play How to Clean Everything and Less Talk, More Rock a ton on our show.  This dude named Trevor did a punk rocker show on the CiTR before us and he turned us on to the group.  I found Propagandhi to be very inspiring, kinda because musically it was pretty basic and savage.  They were the band that showed me that ANYONE that puts their energy into music, can take something out of it.

As I started collecting their records and listening more and more, I began to enjoy their newer records.  My fave always being whatever the latest disc is.  “Die Jugend Marschiert” off Potemkin City Limits is a killer focus cut form the band.  I don’t think the song has a traditional chorus, they just blast off with this story and belt out the words.  Oddly, the title track “Potemkin City Limits” is on the new record, Supporting Caste.  Some of my other favourite focus tracks if you are thinking of trying a few out would be:

“Hallie Sallass, Up Your Ass” from How to Clean Everything
“Stick the fucking flag up you Goddamned Ass, you sonofabitch” from How to Clean Everything
“Back to The Motor league” from Today’s Empires, Tomorrow’s Ashes

Website: Propagandhi.com

Go with yourself.

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Everything dies, baby thats a fact.

Posted in music, tagged , , , , , , on March 11, 2009| Leave a Comment »

because all my wisdom comes from television: “No one pays to see a one ball juggler.”

bands or record labels that disable the embedding feature on their music videos make me not want to share their great art with others.  grrrr.

That is my little rant of the moment.

Here are some of my favourite bands getting play at home over the past week according to my LastFM page.

01) The Von Bondies
02) The National
02) Bright Eyes
04) The Frames
05) Explosions in the Sky
06) Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova
06) The Tragically Hip
06) The Hold Steady
09) The Fratellis
09) The Flaming lips
09) Joshua Radin
09) Beck
09) Joe Purdy
09) Vampire Weekend
09) New Pornographers

The Von Bondies new record is mighty good.  I am loving it the last couple days.  I only put it on my computer yesterday!

Time for rant two:  Pitchfork, get it together.  Your new website is brutal slow on every computer I use and not very practical for me to read.  Time for a new web design intern!  Unless of course, they’re pulling a Nirvana.  Maybe they are too popular and to get back that indie street cred they have designed a site so frustratingly difficult to navigate, all but the most scene (and I suppose unemployed) will have the time to wait for pages to load and to hunt for the basics.  grrr.

The Hold Steady did a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Atlantic City.”  At first I wasn’t too into the track, but it is really growing on me.

ALRIGHT!  Sorry to yell, but Madelyn is hungry and really wishing I’d stop typing about music and feed her.

Go with yourself.

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Von Bondies Interview

Posted in music, tagged on March 11, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Interview: The Von Bondies

The Von Bondies made their second journey from Detroit to Victoria to play us a Zone show.  Before the concert the entire gaggle of them stopped by The Zone Afternoon show for a chit chat.  I am a little disappointed because this not my strongest interview.  Normally a weak interview doesn’t bother me too much cuz I just blame the artist, but Jason was really nice and off the mic we had great chemistry and he told some wonderful stories.  Then I turn the mic on and ask him boring questions.  But I think the second part picks up a bit.

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take this sinking boat and point it home, we still have time.

Posted in history 101, music, neat-O gang, tagged , , , , , on March 10, 2009| 3 Comments »

I have had a couple magical moments in my life and one of them would be the time I sat in the park on a beautifully comfortable summer day in a big American metropolis with Coral.  She was pregnant with Madelyn and we watched the Frames perform “Falling Slowly.”

Sometimes I feel the media conspires against (or maybe for me).  Certain threads across all the channels and noise emerge.  Last night the hero on the TV talked about memories.  Basically its about making them and then keeping them.  Happy blogs about people getting back together and taking trips, sad comments about marriages ending and essays on passion.

The essay on passion I can’t remember where I read it on the internet.  It was one of those hundreds of links that people puke out on Twitter all day.  I clicked it and read it and was amazed.

The writer is a man who is a writer.  duh.  He loves writing and is passionate about the experience.  He makes his living writing.  What he talked about was the plateau we all hit when what we love becomes work.  Then what do we love?

Wow.  I wish I could find the blog post because it was very inspiring.  What he talked about applies to many of our lives, whether it is relationships, friends, family or work.

I make my living in a creative industry and constantly find myself battling the beast that is, for lack of a better word, writers block.  Some days, I don’t want to be “funny” or I don’t really care to hear Pearl Jam and answering the phone for four hours and jibber jabbering about the weather is not appealing.  BUT my JOB is a Monday to Friday.  And deep down, it is what I want to do.  I guess that is what separates the truly great from good.  Ha, TV once again, “Good is the enemy of great.”  The blog had some excellent ideas for keeping the pencil sharp.

One idea that is helping me oddly, is walking.  I like to walk and listen to music.  Now I walk more and jam out some tunes that I want to hear and think.  Feels good and fills up the brain with thoughts and ideas.

Its time to feed my little baby monster and get ready to hop into the studio and craft a Capital Rock City.  I think this week I am going to sift through all my music from season one and find a few favourites.  April 10th is the 10 Year Anniversary party for The Morning After Show.  The MAS went on the radio in Vancouver back in December of 1998 and the current host, Oswaldo, is throwing a party in Vancouver and I am going to be there.

Subscribe to the podcast

I don’t have much anything to do with the show in Vancouver anymore, but I’d like to go and see Oz and be part of the anarchy.  I don’t have many tapes from the old shows with Paul and me, or Scott or Oz (Paul, Scott and Oz were all the co-hosts over the years and Oz took over full-time when I left for Victoria… Paul and I started the show waaaaaay back when we were just kids) but I’d like to see what I could track down and maybe make a podcast closer to April, so look for that before April 10th.  And if you are in Vancouver or want to take the trip over with me, Easter weekend, Vancouver!

Go with yourself.

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all my friends are vampires

Posted in music, tagged , , , , on March 9, 2009| 4 Comments »

Coral and I punched through season one of Friday Night Lights over the weekend.  Yeah, we have a minor obsession.

Nothing like a gorgeous soap opera of pretty kids, great music and football to waste away a lazy weekend.  Now we’re in the hunt for season two. (we’ve been watching season three on TV every week)

“Devil Town” is the song they play at the end of season one when the team is having a parade through Dillon after the final game.  At first I had a little bit of challenge drawing parallels of the lyrics to the scene, but I think my brain was tired last night when we watched it because today it is wickedly clear what  the song is talking about and how it applies to the people of Dillon.

It is amazing how hearing a song used in a particular context can make the song stand out.  The original is ancient (well 80s I think, not ANCIENT) and the song has been used in soundtracks and commercials before… but after watching an entire season of FNL and then hearing the song play at the end of all that, late at night, made the song sear into my head.  I’ve been singing it all day.

The show plays a version of the song by Tony Lucca, but I downloaded an interpretation performed by Bright Eyes (posted above).  Originally the song is from the man Daniel Johnston.

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Rock Stars Gone WILD!

Posted in music, tagged , , , , , , , on March 5, 2009| 7 Comments »

Lately it seems that every time I crack the mic here at the Zone, I am jibber jabbering about another rock star fight.  Let’s see what is playing out as I type.

MGMT vs. France

Wayne vs. Win

Miley vs. Radiohead

But do you know who Miley thinks is just so cool?  Coldplay!  Shocker!

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All The News Thats Fit to Hyperlink 002

Posted in music, tagged , , , , , , , on March 3, 2009| 3 Comments »

Sam Roberts’ beard and The Stills added to Juno Awards.  Wait a minute, whoa deja-vu.

Prince sells his records at Vancityrockgirl’s favourite store!

WTF? Sublime have a new singer?

Those East Coasters recognize Hey Rosetta!  3 ECMAs.

Matthew “Abs” McConaughy jumps into the record business. SHOCKER!  Champions uplifting reggae artist.

Hey everyone a Twitter Fight between rock stars!

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The Proclaimers covering Kings of Leon

Posted in music, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on March 2, 2009| 5 Comments »

and it sounds pretty good.  here;

Have a Listen: The Proclaimers – “17”

musicthatmakesyoudum

and in other music news.

Iggy Pop is going Jazz!

Spinal Tap is BACK! (and in Vancouver in April.)

The new U2 record is being given away for free on my show!  Review right here.

Oh! this is neat.  No Doubt will be on my fave show EVAR, Gossip Girl. (no really, I watch it every week)

and if you listen to T.I. you’re basically the dumbest person ever made.  Hey, don’t be mad at me, blame science!

Robert Smith continues to lose his mind on Radiohead.  Hilarity ensues.

and that’s that.

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Beast Interview

Posted in music, tagged , , on February 25, 2009| Leave a Comment »

beast-01

A Day late a bucks short.  I get it.

Ok, so Beast was on the show last Wednesday and I am a lazy fuck… so here is the interview today.

Interview: Beast

***

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Daniel Wesley Interview

Posted in music, tagged , on February 24, 2009| Leave a Comment »

daniel

I was cruising around my Facebook the other day, and there was Daniel Wesley facebooking away the status of his new album.  I messaged him and asked him to call my radio show.  He did.  Here is the audio.

Interview: Daniel Wesley On The ZAS

“Facebooking” is that a verb?  Not as a cute as “twittering.”

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